"Like the Weather" was the second single released from

10,000 Maniacs 10,000 Maniacs is an American alternative rock band that was founded in 1981. They have released nine studio albums, six EPs, and five live albums. They achieved their most significant success between 1987 and 1993, when they released four album ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

album ''

In My Tribe ''In My Tribe'' is an album by the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Released on July 27, 1987 by Elektra Records, it was their second major-label album and their first to achieve large-scale success. John Lombardo, Natalie Merchant' ...

'', following "

Peace Train "Peace Train" is a 1971 song by Cat Stevens, taken from his album ''Teaser and the Firecat''. The song climbed to No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart during the week of November 6, 1971, becoming Stevens' first US Top 10 hit. The song also ...

". A live version with lead vocalist

Mary Ramsey Mary Ramsey (born December 24, 1963) is a member of folk rock duo John & Mary and lead singer and violinist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. Ramsey has also worked with other well-known artists such as Jackson Browne, Goo ...

was also included on their 2016 album '' Playing Favorites''.

Background and lyrics

"Like the Weather" was written by 10,000 Maniacs frontwoman and vocalist

Natalie Merchant Natalie Anne Merchant (born October 26, 1963) is an American alternative rock singer-songwriter. She joined the band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and was lead vocalist and primary lyricist for the group. She remained with the group for their first se ...

. Lyrically, the song, according to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Liana Jones, "provides a rare instance where the band departs from addressing political and social issues to discuss the very primal human instinct to stay in bed due to the cruddy weather outside." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' similarly described the song as "about, well, a really, really bad mood." At a musical level, the song features an upbeat melody that contrasts with the dourness of the lyrics. Of this juxtaposition, 10,000 Maniacs bassist

Steve Gustafson Steven E. "Steve" Gustafson (born April 10, 1957) is the bass guitarist for the American alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs. He, Dennis Drew and John Lombardo are the only remaining founding members of the group. Drummer Jerome Augustyniak has b ...

commented, "We liked to play toe-tapping music. Stuff you could dance to with a big beat. Her erchant'sview of the world was sometimes in stark contrast to that joy we got from playing. It made us unique. I think she is a fabulous lyricist."

Release

"Like the Weather" was released as the third single from the band's

album ''

''. The single would prove to be the band's breakthrough hit, reaching number 68 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and number 37 on the

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart. It was the band's first single to chart on either chart. The single's release was accompanied by a music video directed by Adrian Edmondson. ''Rolling Stone'' described the video as "a shiny, happy video starring an adorably pouty Merchant."

Reception

's Jones spoke glowingly of the song, stating, "Next time when you rise for work in the morning and it's pouring outside, have a listen to 'Like the Weather.' The song won't make the sun come out, but it will put things in a lighter perspective and maybe even make stepping out the door a bit easier." ''

The Post-Standard ''The Post-Standard'' is a newspaper serving the greater Syracuse, New York, metro area. Published by Advance Publications, it and sister website Syracuse.com are among the consumer brands of Advance Media New York, alongside NYUp.com and ''The ...

'' described the song as a "classic hit," while ''Rolling Stone'' praised the song's "buoyant" music. Current 10,000 Maniacs vocalist

, who replaced Merchant after she left the band in 1993, noted the song was one of the band's "must play" tracks in live performances, due to its popularity with fans.

Chart performance

References

10,000 Maniacs songs 1987 songs 1987 singles Songs written by Natalie Merchant Song recordings produced by Peter Asher {{1980s-single-stub